1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an adjustable seat for a motor vehicle. Some embodiments relate to a seat having a thigh support insert that can be adjusted relative to a laterally-disposed bolster cushion of the seat to accommodate a plurality of occupants each having a different height.
2. Description of Related Art
A traditional automobile seat includes a generally horizontal seat base and a seatback coupled to the seat base at an obtuse angle for supporting an occupant of the automobile in a seated posture. The occupant of the automobile sits, facing a forward direction, upon a cushion provided to pad the seat base with the occupant's feet resting on the floor and his legs extending outward beyond a leading edge of the cushion. The seat can optionally be provided with a mechanism for horizontally adjusting the position of the seat relative to the floor of the automobile to provide the seat's occupant with sufficient leg room to at least partially extend his legs. Another mechanism for adjusting the angle between the seatback and the seat base can also optionally be provided to the seat for maximizing the comfort experienced by the occupant while in the seat.
A tall occupant having long legs will typically adjust the position of the seat toward a rear of the automobile to enlarge the leg room between a front portion of the seat cushion and a forward dashboard of the automobile cabin. Doing so allows the tall occupant to extend his legs as much as possible to enhance his comfort while riding in the automobile. By extending his legs, the tall occupant also allows his thighs to rest somewhat flat on the seat cushion, thereby providing support to an underside of the tall occupant's thighs and minimizing discomfort. However, the length of conventional seat cushions is insufficient to extend beneath the entire length of the tall occupant's thighs, causing them to extend unsupported beyond a front portion of the seat cushion. This extension of the occupant's thighs beyond the front portion of the seat cushion can lead to the occupant experiencing discomfort over a period of time.
Similarly, an automobile seat tailored to provide thigh support to a tall occupant causes discomfort to a short vehicle occupant. In such cases, the seat length is so great that the front portion of the seat cushion contacts the underside of the short occupant's knee, preventing the short occupant from becoming properly situated in the seat against the seat back.
Previous attempts to devise a vehicular seat to accommodate occupants of varying heights have focused on allowing adjustment of the length of the seat cushion. To this end, the front portions of said seats have been made adjustable, independent of the remainder of the seat cushion. The occupant can manually adjust the position of a pad forming the front portion of the seat cushion relative to the remainder of the seat cushion, thereby providing thigh support where needed. However, such a configuration leaves a gap between the adjustable pad and the rest of the seat cushion, making the occupant uncomfortable while seated in the seat.
Other attempts have focused on allowing angular adjustment of the seat cushion as a whole, undivided structure, about a transverse axis of rotation. Such configurations allow for rotation of the front portion about an axis such that said rotation elevates or lowers the front portion of the seat cushion as desired. Although this does provide support to the occupant's thighs, it limits the occupant's ability to extend his legs (i.e., establish an angle between the thigh and calf to an angle approaching 180°) while still allowing his feet to rest on the floor of the automobile's cabin.
Alternate adjustable thigh supports also allow an underlying member to be horizontally adjusted relative to the seat cushion to adjust the thigh support provided to the seat's occupant. Although such configurations coil the excess seat-cushion material to prevent it from hanging freely, these configurations utilize a complex system of compatible gears to adjust the length of the seat cushion and hold it in place when adjustment is not desired. And in addition to being complex, the gear system requires the seat's occupant to manually turn the interlocking gears, making adjustment slow and cumbersome.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a vehicular seat having an adjustable thigh support that is easy to use and accommodates occupants of varying heights. Some embodiments provide a vehicular seat that is readily adjusted from a retracted position to an extended position without forming a gap between a front portion of the seat cushion and the remainder of the seat cushion that could cause the seat's occupant to experience discomfort.